Wikiversity:Cross-wiki project
This is a project to add links to Wikiversity on other WMF projects, particularly Wikipedia. Where material exists on Wikiversity, or an opportunity to develop material with, at least, a soliciting stub, we may, in theory, place a cross-wiki link on Wikipedia. This is sometimes resisted, on the grounds that Wikiversity is not bound by the same standards as Wikipedia, and pages here may represent some POV.
However, Wikiversity has a neutrality policy and if pages here are biased, the remedy is to add balancing material. We are not limited in this as is Wikipedia, which needs to simultaneously satisfy brevity and balance considerations in a limited way, with subpages for various points of view being impossible there.
Wikiversity is for the collaborative study of subjects, not merely the presentation of information. In the process of study, one will want to examine, often thoroughly, various points of view, including some which are considered "fringe." Sometimes (not usually, but often enough to be important) allegedly fringe views are better supported by evidence, but are considered fringe for social or political reasons.
The placement of links to Wikiversity from Wikipedia may trigger a rapid expansion of participation here, I know of many examples where editors were frustrated on Wikipedia because they could not explore subjects in depth, even to the point that they were banned or restricted. Discussion of the subject is often explicitly discouraged there, but it's encouraged here, because discussion is an important element in education.
Resources may be built here without needing to be constantly defended from ignorant modification, and we can and will develop procedures here for addressing conflict over content, which we have often managed to avoid, if only because of our small community.
We should, then, at the same time as undertaking this project, work on developing efficient and fair dispute resolution processes, so that we are ready for what is likely to happen as interwiki traffic increases. Wikipedia editors may arrive with assumptions that we should be like Wikipedia, it's been quite visible in the past as new editors arrive to help out, and they may attempt to exclude what they see as "biased" or "fringe" or even "nonsense."
When a link is added to Wikipedia, I suggest that it be noted here, and that other Wikiversity editors watch that link and what happens, supporting inclusion of the link, if it's appropriate. Frequently, it will not be controversial, but if the topic is a controversial one, I can expect that there will be objections from factions that dislike deep exploration of the topic, and that are often able to ensure, on Wikipedia, that only "mainstream" views -- their opinion of mainstream, which is not necessarily the actual mainstream -- are covered or linked.
In theory, external links on Wikipedia can include "biased" web sites, such as political parties, advocacy sites, etc. But that theory is often set aside in favor of factional opinion.
But Wikiversity is not "biased," it's a wiki, and is open to editors from all factions; it has a neutrality policy, through the overall WMF policy. Let's see what happens. --Abd 17:30, 24 December 2010 (UTC)
See w:Wikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects, the Wikipedia guideline on these links. --Abd 17:41, 24 December 2010 (UTC)
Suggested pages on Wikiversity for links from Wikipedia[edit source]
Please list the resource here, with suggested Wikipedia page(s).
- w:Cold fusion. warning: this was tried and was removed. Please be careful. --Abd 17:44, 24 December 2010 (UTC)